In this episode presented by Eclipsebio, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis continues the discussion on mRNA and srRNA with Andy Geall of Replicate Bioscience and Alliance for mRNA Medicines and Pad Chivukula of Arcturus Therapeutics.
After initially refusing to suspend Elevidys distribution after two deaths, Sarepta has now given in to the FDA’s request, noting the need to maintain a good working relationship with the regulator.
The company is pushing inhaled versions of common oral drugs with the hope of avoiding severe side effects.
The biotech is planning to expand antisense oligonucleotide capabilities and infrastructure on campuses that already produce drugs such as the ALS therapy Qalsody.
Tidmarsh, an adjunct professor at Stanford’s medical school, brings decades of industry experience to the table. Serving as director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research will be his first government position.
The path to market for Roche’s astegolimab became more uncertain after the investigational antibody failed to significantly lower disease exacerbation rates versus placebo in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
FEATURED STORIES
In this deep dive, BioSpace examines how small, medium and large companies are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their drug discovery efforts.
In this special report, BioSpace examines how the biopharma industry is grappling with impending consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode presented by Slone Partners, Leslie Loveless, Co-CEO and Managing Partner discusses how hiring and the building of executive teams has responded to the current biotech environment.
Pfizer seals the deal with Metsera for $10 billion after Novo Nordisk bowed out; President Donald Trump welcomes executives from Novo and Eli Lilly to the White House to announce that the companies’ GLP-1 medicines would be sold at a reduced cost; and the FDA grants the second round of priority review vouchers—primarily to already marketed drugs.
In this episode presented by PII, BioSpace’s head of insights discusses how to relieve clinical trial patients of technological burden to improve compliance with guests Oliver Eden and Travis Webb.
Job Trends
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, will hold its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 sales and earnings conference call with institutional investors and analysts at 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 1.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace investigates China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse.
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the next big thing in obesity.
BioSpace did a deep dive into biopharma female executives who navigated difficult markets to lead their companies to high-value exits.
DEALS
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Shockwave Medical bolsters medical device portfolio with acquisition of Neovasc. -
Massachusetts-based biotech Leap Therapeutics announced Tuesday that it had entered into a merger deal with the privately-held Flame Biosciences, Inc. -
Elicio Therapeutics entered into a merger agreement as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Angion Biomedica Co. on Tuesday, becoming a Nasdaq-listed company. -
If the letter of intent to acquire your company has been signed, you might be asking what happens next. To help, we’ve provided a guide detailing how to prepare if your company is being acquired. -
Stay on top of what’s happening at JPM. BioSpace is covering all the key announcements all week.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Speaking at a conference this morning, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla suggested that Metsera’s therapies could begin hitting the market in 2028. -
The decision to pause dapiglutide will help Zealand focus investment into assets that have “the greatest potential for clinical differentiation” in obesity. -
Altimmune’s pemvidutide showed “class-leading signals” in non-invasive assessments and has “potentially best-in-class tolerability,” according to analysts at H.C. Wainwright. -
Pfizer seals the deal with Metsera for $10 billion after Novo Nordisk bowed out; President Donald Trump welcomes executives from Novo and Eli Lilly to the White House to announce that the companies’ GLP-1 medicines would be sold at a reduced cost; and the FDA grants the second round of priority review vouchers—primarily to already marketed drugs. -
The White House may have struck a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk last week to lower the costs of their weight loss drugs for patients, but knockoff versions of Zepbound and Wegovy still permeate the obesity market.
POLICY
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The European Commission has tagged India-based pharma Alchem as being part of a global cartel that coordinates the pricing of a pharmaceutical ingredient in the antispasmodic drug Buscopan. -
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld access to the abortion pill mifepristone, unanimously rejecting a challenge by a group of anti-abortion doctors seeking to undo the FDA’s approval of the drug. -
Based on promising response data from the Phase I/II TRIDENT-1 study, the FDA on Thursday granted Bristol Myers Squibb’s Augtyro accelerated approval for NTRK-positive locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. -
Shifts in the FDA’s approach present an unprecedented opportunity to solve problems with patient access and trial design. -
The BIOSECURE Act, which seeks to protect U.S. national security from Chinese biotech companies, will not be part of the House of Representatives vote on the 2025 fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act.
Many job seekers take it for granted that the holidays are not the best time to be on the job market, so they suspend their job hunt until after the new year. Others get distracted by all of the holiday hullabaloo and don’t put as much time and effort into their search as they need to.
Building an “Internal Network” is much the same as regular professional networking. Look at some of the reasons why it is important in contemporary times.
Sometimes you don’t have days or weeks to prepare for a job interview. Sometimes, you may only have a few hours… Here are some quick interview tips for moments like this.
Your employment or work history section of your resume is likely the single most important category in the entire document and, when done well, can make a powerful case to your potential employer about how and why you’re well qualified for their open position.
Going into a job interview, especially when you really want the job or don’t have much experience on the job market, can be a nerve-wracking few hours for many candidates.
If you’re considering a future in life science, there’s a good chance a lucrative salary isn’t the biggest draw. For many who choose science careers, the opportunity to satisfy an innate curiosity is more important than a stellar income.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
In this Employment Outlook report, BioSpace explores current workforce sentiment, job activity trends and the prospective job and hiring outlook for 2025, particularly as it compares to the previous year.
BioSpace’s third report on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in life sciences examines dramatic shifts in attitude around diversity initiatives.
CANCER
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At Thursday’s Oncology Innovation Day, Pfizer laid out its business strategy which includes building up its biologics business, specifically antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. -
Janux Therapeutics on Monday announced positive updated clinical data for both of its clinical programs in prostate cancer advanced or metastatic solid tumors. -
The cancer space has been aflutter with notable approvals so far this year, but there are several more candidates with significant data expected over the next four months. BioSpace takes a closer look. -
A year after Roche returned Gavreto’s global rights to Blueprint Medicines, Rigel Pharmaceuticals has acquired the U.S. rights to the FDA-approved treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. -
The biotech will use the oversubscribed Series C financing to advance its next-generation KRAS blocker FMC-376, which saw its first patient dosed in a Phase I/II clinical trial on Thursday.
NEUROSCIENCE
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TauRx Pharmaceuticals and Anavex Life Sciences presented positive results from their candidates at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference in San Francisco, CA. -
Athira Pharma’s experimental Alzheimer’s therapy, fosgonimeton, continues to show signs of being able to improve cognition and function in patients. -
Eli Lilly’s investigational antibody donanemab met all of its primary and secondary endpoints in the Phase III TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 4 study, the company announced Wednesday. -
BioSpace sat down with Roche Global Head of Neurodegeneration Rachelle Doody, Ph.D. and Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Co-founder Howard Fillit, M.D. to discuss the highlights. -
Full data from the Phase III Clarity AD trial show Eisai and Biogen’s lecanemab has a favorable safety profile in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Through substantial leadership turnover and workforce cuts, the FDA has continued to support the advanced therapy sector, actively working to remove obstacles to innovation. -
The plausible mechanism pathway “could accelerate gene therapy/editing development,” analysts at William Blair said Thursday, while adding that additional clarity is needed. -
MeiraGTx Holdings is licensing a genetic eye disease medicine to Eli Lilly in a deal worth up to $475 million. -
The FDA previously placed two clinical studies on hold, including the Phase III trial in which the liver toxicity occurred. Intellia is working with experts to create a risk management program for nex-z. -
Pfizer and Novo Nordisk continue to fight for ownership of obesity startup Metsera; CDER Director George Tidmarsh leaves his position amid an ongoing probe into his “personal conduct”; FDA reverses course on approval requirements for uniQure’s Huntington’s gene therapy; Sarepta’s exon-skipping Duchenne muscular dystrophy drugs fail confirmatory study.
